About

sus·tain·a·ble [ sə stáynəb’l ] 1. able to be maintained 2. maintaining ecological balance: exploiting natural resources without destroying the ecological balance of an area

Welcome to Frugally Sustainable. As defined, this blog will attempt to be a resource for all things frugal and sustainable. With current trends moving toward issues regarding the homestead, prepping, preserving, and restoration it is my desire to turn our faces in the direction of sustainability. Everything we need is provided in the natural world that surrounds us. Together let’s discover!

I am…

…imperfect …frugal …a natural healer …connected to the Earth and all that is wild

“I buy my freedom with my frugality.”~Vicki Robins

Frugally Sustainable is the story of my transition out of a consumer culture into the brave world of sustainability.

It’s about focusing on what’s important and awakening to all that is meaningful.

It’s about…

returning to forgotten skills

reviving old wisdom

creating something amazing

…and finding peace, love, and happiness in the journey.

Frugally Sustainable is also one of the most featured blogs in its niche! It is host to 2-3 informative posts per week that catalogue the why, the how, and the how-to on: frugality, simplicity, natural health, traditional foods nutrition, motivation and inspiration, spirituality, up-cycling, recycling, and designing a life that is interdependent on like-minded others, ecologically responsible and centered around the home.

I love to cook, work in my garden, and explore all things sustainable found on this Earth. I also love farmer’s markets, frugal finds, life and seasonal rhythms, hanging my clothes to dry, and the accepted wisdom gleaned from a life free from dualistic thinking.

I was raised with a deep respect for the creation surrounding us. In fact, some may consider me an overly enthusiastic outdoorsy-type person and pioneer. I believe the Earth — along with all the elements — contain the entirety of items necessary for our existence and vitality.

“Home is where the great change will begin. It is not where it ends.” ~Shannon Hayes, Radical Homemakers

Why Frugally Sustainable?

They told her she was poor

As the story goes, an elderly woman lies alone in her nursing home bed; her children all grown and leading what many consider to be successful lives; however, unable to care for their aged mother. Her’s is a story similar to countless others. She was born in the 1920’s, an era defined by its self-sufficiency. She was raised on the family farm. The family had all that was needed and they were dependent on no one. One day, during the heart of the industrial revolution, “they” told her she was poor. Poor because she didn’t have the newest modern conveniences. Poor because she grew her own food and didn’t purchase from the grocery chain. Poor because she didn’t have electricity. So she left the farm and went to work, working in the factory downtown, earning a wage. Now, unable to produce the things she needed at home because she was too busy working. She finds herself spending her wages by consuming things that have somehow become necessities; things that “they” said were necessities. She worked for “them” until she could no longer. “They” said these would be the golden years. She gave “them” her all. And now…now she lies alone.

I’ve made tons of mistakes in my life. I’ve followed false dreams that have shaped false hopes. No longer! Freedom from dependence will be ours.

The spirit of the dream lives on, just now it looks different. Together with my family, we are retracing our steps; in essence, going backward so we may move forward.

Homeschooling, sustainable homemaking, food storage, frugal finds, healthy eating, gardening, hiking…all of these things are meaningless without the knowledge of why we are doing them.

We long to be a home recognized for the way we help others by the things we produce, not by the things we consume!